This is a simple idea. Get to class on time. Better yet, get there ahead of time so you can be warmed up and focused and ready when the instructor starts the lesson.
So, why would I bother writing about such a mundane topic? Because it's important. I'll explain why in a moment.
A Widespread Problem
Have you ever noticed people rushing into the classroom or dance studio at the last minute? Have you ever seen people changing their shoes, checking messages, chatting, or socializing while the instructor is already presenting material? This happens a lot.
Sometimes students arrive after the class has already started - five, ten, fifteen minutes late - maybe more. This isn't unusual either.
Time Pressure
Hey, I get it. I understand. We're all busy. Some of us attend classes after work. It's not always easy to depart from your place of business or finish a meeting with a client in time to arrive early for an extracurricular activity.
We may have families and children to manage amongst other responsibilities. It's not easy to leave your loved ones when they're dealing with some minor crisis. (Of course, if it's a major crisis, just stay home. You can catch up on the material another time. Devoting time to your family when they need you is a no-brainer.)
Traffic delays are common. Public transportation doesn't always run on time. The weather can slow everything down. That, plus your dog probably ate your homework.
The Importance Of Being Punctual
Classes and workshops tend to follow a progressive flow. This won't be true in every instance or with every teacher, but in my experience, this is how most classes are run.
What do I mean by following a progressive flow? Teachers present material, concepts, and/or exercises in the first few minutes of class with the expectation that they will build on this material as the class moves forward.
In order to build on the material that's introduced in the first few minutes, the students have to be ready to absorb and work on that material. People who are chatting or rushing to put on their shoes won't be fully focused. The guy who arrives seven minutes late because "traffic was horrible" won't see the exposition of the material, and he won't have a chance to practice the first exercise or two enough to make sense of it.
That's the problem. What can we do about it?
Making Up For Lost Time
Let's talk about those late arrivers for a moment. How can we manage them?
Option 1 - Explain and demonstrate the material all over again when the late people arrive.
This means that the rest of the class has to wait for the late arrivers to catch up instead of moving on to more material that they (the on-time people) are now ready to handle.
Even if we do explain and demonstrate the material for the later arrivers, they won't have enough time to assimilate it as the rest of the class moves forward. They'll feel frustrated. This problem multiplies itself if even more people arrive even later.
Option 2 - Let the on-time students practice for a song or two while you take time out to explain things to the late arrivers.
At best, this will be challenging. You're going to be explaining things to them in the corner of the room while the rest of the class is busy doing something else.
You won't be able to give the on-time students as much focus as they deserve, because the late arrivers now demand your focus. And the late arrivers still won't have enough time to practice the material before moving on.
Option 3 - Just move forward. Focus your energy and attention on the people who were committed to arriving on time. If the late arrivers can't catch up, they can repeat the class or schedule a private lesson in order to catch up.
Of course, they're going to be annoyed. They paid the same price for the class as the on-time students, and they expect to walk away with an understanding of the material. They don't see any reason why you can't take time out to catch them up on the material. (At least, they didn't until they read Options 1 and 2 above.)
They don't want to pay extra money for an hour of lessons just so you can show them something that you explained five minutes ago. And you know what? They have a point. If you overlook the needs of your latecomers more than a few times, and they'll leave your school and look for instruction elsewhere.
The important idea is that it's not possible to make up for lost time in a way that will work effectively for everyone. Students need to be present and ready from the beginning of the class if they want to get the most out of the material. If someone arrives even a little bit late, it's not possible to straighten that out without inconveniencing someone. It's that simple.
Being There
I understand this problem from all sides. I have a habit of running late, and I was never terribly punctual about getting to my tango classes. At the time, I didn't realize the kind of problems that this could cause. So, I'd like to apologize to my teachers for being a pain in the ass.
My perspective changed when started teaching. I realized quickly how challenging it is to catch the late people up on the material when the early people are ready to move forward. It's not a fun situation for anyone.
That said, in the four years that I taught tango classes, I was late only one time - and by "late" I mean that I walked into the studio at the time that the class was due to start. I needed to take a couple of extra minutes in order to change my shoes and use the restroom before starting the class. Luckily, this happened only once.
I made it a point to arrive at my classes early. I made it a point to be there well in advance of the arrival of my students, to be focused and ready to go when they were. I factored in likely delays due to traffic and weather, so I was rarely surprised by a delay that I couldn't manage. It's possible to be on time or ahead of time EVERY time if you commit yourself to it.
It is worth the effort? Yes, and not just because it makes things easier for your teacher. It will make things easier for you. We learn better when we don't feel stressed or hurried.
If you pay for a one hour class or a two-hour workshop, why not get the most out of that time? Why put yourself through the stress of trying to catch up when you can simply be there from the beginning, see all of the demonstrations, and participate in all of the exercises?
No matter who your teacher is, make sure that you arrive on time for class. You'll get so much more out of the experience.
And remember what they say: "Five minutes early, is five minutes late."
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
Copyright © 2015 The Exploring Tango Blog
All Rights Reserved
